The Citizen Belgian Ale is inspired by the timeless Tripel style ales of Belgium. Using a traditional high gravity "Abbey" yeast strain that encourages the production of highly palatable ethanol notes supported by Aromatic and "The Citizen" also exhibits the noble hop spiciness that is common to most Belgian Ales. Reigning in at 7.0% ABV this is the Brau's strongest offering in our flagship portfolio. Become a Citizen of the world, one sip at a time!

12 oz. can purchased in the greater Washington D.C. area, unknown birth date, poured into a Rogue chalice, drank 4/3/13 over one hour.

A: 4.25 - pretty golden coloration, minimal clarity consistent with style, really nice white two finger head that resolves into a creamy-appearing 1/4 head for the remainder of the session, small bubbles pouring off the bottom of the glass throughout, minimal alcohol legs

T: 4.25 - drinks like a saison instead of a Belgian pale ale to me (good thing...), no detectable hop flavors or bitterness; again, lots of lemon, young citrus and spice on the taste buds, some candy sugar on the back end

O: 4.5 - although I'm not crazy about the generally non-committal "Belgian pale ale," definitely approachable and refreshing, especially as the temperature warms in the greater D.C. area; although not their best offering, this is a solid flagship beer from my favorite local brewery...Prosit! (1,188 characters)

i almost wonder if this beer was made for me because "the citizen" would be a great way to describe me considering i am a true citizen of the world traveling and living all over the place slopping up beer every where i go

pours out a nice hazy apricot but the head is a real unexpected cream soda color. not what i was expecting but looks tasty!

and tasty it was, it did also have a cream soda taste. now i don't know if that's because i thought it looked like cream soda, but it had a nice vanilla and spice flavor too

overall i like this beer a lot and i am glad to see DC brau getting more and more distribution here in the capitol area, they deserve it imho (664 characters)

Got this as a free sample from the boss, score! Serving it chilled. Poured this one in my Maudite tulip. Deep golden color with a nice white head. Smells of the tell tale clove, banana, biscuit, pear. Taste had a great tartness that really appealed to me. It was smooth and really drinkable. Notes of tart cherries, biscuit, yeast, and grass. (342 characters)

Multiple samples straight from the brewery and from a growler. Served into a tulip glass.

A: Hazy golden yellow/orange colored body with a rich, fluffy and sticky white head. The retention is really nice, leaving a cap behind and some sticky lacing on the walls. Certainly unfiltered in its looks.

S: Belgian yeast, pale malts, mild white pepper, Belgian-like spice, and a quite assertive hop spice with a touch of bitterness. It smells like a cross between a classic Tripel and something more along the lines of a regular Belgian Pale Ale. The classification seems muddled though.

T: Lots of unripe banana, pepper, caramel and pale malts, touch of sweetness and some tamed bitterness midway. The back of the palate brings an evident yeast characteristics along with some classic Belgian spice. It's really a unique and quite tasty beer.

M: Nicely carbonated, not overdone with a great creamy mouth feel to it. There's a bit of stickiness but it's not left lingering long after.

Of all their beers I sampled that day (every single one on tap), this was by far my favorite of them all. Perhaps it's my love for Belgian Tripels which this comes dangerously close to mimicking, but this is a nicely crafted Belgian Ale... in a can! (1,233 characters)

My cousin, Colby Chandler, specialty brewer at Ballast Point, got this for me while sharing a booth with the brewers during SAVOR 2012. It's nice to have relatives and even nicer when they know my fondness for CANned beers in support of The CANQuest (TM).

From the CAN: "Citizen Facts [:] In 1963, the citizens of Washington DC won th right tovote for the president and vice-president of the United States with the ratification of the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution."; "Please recycle - pack in, pack out". "Serve in a tulip, gobelt or enjoy from the [CAN]".

The Crack revealed another well-filled craft CAN as well as another beer anxious to get out from its surroundings, foaming up as soon as its CAN was cracked open. I allowed things to settle back down before employing a very gentle Glug so as not to disturb any lees. This still resulted in two fingers of foamy French Vanilla-colored head with decent retention. Nose was both fruity and musty, both yeast-driven and I was reminded of Juicyfruit gum along with a mustiness of old newspapers. Color was an oh-so-slightly hazy golden yellow with lots of CO2 bubbles in evidence. Mouthfeel was full, kind of spritzy from the massive carbonation and the taste was immediately fruity, followed by a mustiness, and then a twang of grassy hops. The finish was dry, smooth, tasty and before I realized it, I had CANsumed easily half of it! At 7.0% ABV, that is something to bear in mind. This might be a dangerous beer to take to the beach ... (1,499 characters)

Nice hazy honey colored ale with a solid sheet of fine whites atop. Smells like grain, sweet grain, pears, flowers, some grass and a little biscuit. Smells fresh, I dig that. Flavor is sweet initially with a good floral character with some juicy fruit, some grain and dough. Like the flavor too. A little fuller bodied than I'd dig, but with the softened carbonation, it has a nice feel overall and an unobtrusive finish. Nice beer, surprised and satisfied. (480 characters)

Poured a hazy deep orangey-gold. Initially has a creamier white head that reduces down to slight presence around the circumference of the tulip glass. The aroma is mostly yeast with a hint of caramel. The taste has a nice tangy-ness to it, reminiscent of the way sourdough tastes. There are also some subtle fruit notes hiding in the back. There's a nice thickness to it and it's quite smooth. A very good Belgian-style pale ale. (429 characters)

DC Brau The Citizen is a tasty Belgian pale with notes of unripe fruit. It's very tasty and reminds me of white wine in some ways. It is not like your usual Belgian pale.

A: Cloudy yellow colour with an excellent 2 cm head and good carbonation. 4.5

S: Belgian yeast and the strong aroma of banana ester. 4

T: Malty with some slightly-sour flavours of unripe fruit. There is some sweetness there but it's not overdone. Quite nice, reminds me of white wine. Not like the style it claims to be though, really.. 4

Taste: This beer could walk the line of a trippel with it's strong fruity and estery flavors. It's a bit sweeter. Once again, apple banana and pear flavors come to mind. Soft sweet malts and belgian yeast work with a light floral hop bite towards the finish.

Mouthfeel: Lighter side of medium. It's a little thin but... it kinda should be. The carbonation level is a little high but this is an easy drinker. It's kinda crazy this beer clocks in at 7%. You would never know it. (806 characters)

It pours with a white head that dissipates quickly, leaving a murky golden body. I can smell spicy hops in the nose, and something in the smell is reminding me of wine. The beer is strongly carbonated, a little too much. I'm new to Belgian pale ales, so the taste is unique to me. I know now why I was reminded of wine when I smelled it, there's a definite fruitiness in the beer. It's a very drinkable beer despite its alcohol content. The mouthfeel is thin, I believe that's the point since it's a Belgian pale ale. I don't think I like this style of beer, but I have to review the beer for what it is, and it's good for what it is. (634 characters)

Brassy gold coloration, bright clarity, plenty of light passing through and illuminating the trails of rising carbonation. A finger or so of head initially, which fades to a patchy skim halfway through. Some minor broken lacing left behind at the rim of the glass.

Aroma is yeast driven, estery pear/banana and spicy white pepper. Similar flavors, some banana and pear sweetness, dry spice in the middle that lingers long into the aftertaste with some light residual bitterness. Creamy feel with ample carbonation, medium bodied and smooth. Overall a nice BPA, pretty flavorful and drinkable. (621 characters)

Presentation: Growler from DC Brau's NE headquarters. Small dry board with general growler offering notes. Served in a tulip glass.

A - Hazy pale amber pour, nice frothy head with fair retention, nice surface memory and some touches of lacing.

S - Soft yeasty nose, caramel, and a touch of fruity spice...

T - Nice yeasty flow, floral and caramel sweetness follows… faint spicy hint, remote punctuation of bubble gum… Maybe it is me, but as I go through a second serving I can see a parallel in the structure of this and their el Heffe, in particular around the malty sweet sense… Pleasing in any case.

M - Medium body soft carbonation with a nice smooth feel.

O - Maybe not as crisp or astringent for some as this should be but it is rather pleasing and quaffable.

Notes: Nothing that remarkable, true. But it has a pretty nice flow and feels like quality. While not something I would eagerly repeat on my own often I´d love to show up socially with a growler of this now and then. I´d say it might be rather engaging for the early curious about craft brews, other styles, without offering a pushy beer. (1,181 characters)

A robust “Abbey” ale yeast strain created this brew, so it has the traits of a bigger beer without a massive amount of alcohol. Very complex, this is not one to just knock back as each sip peels back another layer of flavor. (544 characters)

Appearance: This pale pours a hazy orange color and is topped with a flurry of big white bubbles that leave quicker than they showed up.Smell: The citizen is a rather clean smelling Belgian a good malt aroma that is backed with just the slightest hints of yeast. Taste: The flavor is clean like the aroma and has the slightest amount of yeasty flavors like most Belgian do but this is a very easy drinking beer that goes down smooth but leaves a good after taste.Mouthfeel: It is a bit on the thin side but the after taste hangs around very nicely well into the next drink and beyond. (587 characters)

Opens sweet and sweet throughout. Notes of clove, coriander and other spices, cane sugar, Belgian yeast, citrus and pineapple sweetness and just a hint of lemon. Sweet and yeasty finish with a touch of yeasty bitterness in the aftertaste. Enjoyable.

Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth in the mouth with some bubbles and goes down quenching. Clean finish with a slightly lingering aftertaste. Real drinkable for a 7% beer.

A decent beer all the way around. That this is a flagship for DC Brau says a lot about the brewery. Worth trying and a real sessionable beer despite the rather high abv. (919 characters)

Appearance – The beer pours a lightly hazed golden color with a small white head. The head fades relatively quickly leaving a light level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell-The aroma is a biggest of a yeasty smell with lots of banana, coriander, clove and a little bit of lemon. Mixed with these more standard Belgian smells are some rather sweet candy and bubblegum aromas, giving it a rather sweet smell overall.

Taste – The taste begins with a malty and sweet taste with flavors of yeast present right from the start. The bready flavors create a base of the beer with the sweet initially being of a more sugary candy nature mixed with a decent amount of a tangerine sweetness. As the flavors advance, more yeast and flavors associated with yeast of clove, banana, and coriander come to the tongue. These flavors combined with a big sugary taste as well as a light alcohol at the end to leave a sweet and yeasty flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the average to creamier with a carbonation level that was on the average side as well. Both are rather nice for the style and produce a nice balance between drinkability as well as allowing all the flavors of the brew to be sensed by the tongue.

Overall – A niceBelgian that has a taste profile in between that of a Belgian session and a triple. Quite tasty. (1,403 characters)

Pours a hazy orange with bright white head. Strong smell of alcohol and flowers but a nice creamy almost buttery taste.

Not a game changing by any means and as someone said - the lack of bottle conditioning really harms the impact of this beer but don't let that turn you away. It's a great session beer that's perfect for a hot day or a bbq. (374 characters)

12oz can poured into my Ithaca glass. It poured a hazy, golden amber color with a thin white head barely covering the top of the beer. The head was thin, but it had good retention and lacing.

The aroma has a crisp, refreshing quality to it with some notes of lemon and banana mixing with some sweeter, bready malts. The Belgian yeast is pretty apparent as well, adding some earthy spice flavors. Pretty nice flavorful and refreshing aroma to it.

The taste shows a little more of the zesty lemon and banana flavors to it up front. The finish is where a little more of the Belgian yeast spice comes out along with some crisp fruits. It's a little dry in the finish as well. The sweeter, bready malts give it a pretty nice base.

The mouthfeel is on the lighter side for the style with carbonation being moderate. Overall, I thought it was a pretty solid beer. It was light, crisp, refreshing and easy drinking. It felt pretty well balanced as well. It didn't completely wow me, but it's something I'd be happy to drink a few of on a hot day. (1,043 characters)